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Added resources to locating records, rewrote Gazetteers (locating the parish section).
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==== Record Coverage ==== | ==== Record Coverage ==== | ||
Metrical book population coverage is about 70% coverage for early periods, 90% from about 1830 through the introduction of civil registration and the fall of churches in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, with about 50% among minority religions and dissident groups such as Old Believers and Baptists.s.<ref name="profile">The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Belarus,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 2002.</ref> | |||
Years of record coverage vary depending upon religion and location. See below for some general guidelines: | Years of record coverage vary depending upon religion and location. See below for some general guidelines: | ||
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* '''Old Believers''' records began in 1874 | * '''Old Believers''' records began in 1874 | ||
== | ==== Location of Records ==== | ||
Belarusian metrical book records may be stored in a variety of places – most commonly in the Central State Archives of Belarus (there are two branches – one in Minsk and one in Grodno), but may also be stored in the archives of neighboring countries such as the Lithuanian State Historical Archives and the Polish State Archives. Some of these records are available online as digital images or indexed records. Others may only be accessible via an archive. This Wiki page will teach you about locating church records. | |||
''' | === Confession Lists === | ||
Confession lists are a register of '''''Orthodox''''' parishioners taken at Easter confession. Attendance at confession and communion was required of family members over the age of seven. Sometimes they are interfiled with the metrical books or in their own record group or collection. They begin as early as 1723 and as late as 1930, though record coverage and availability/survival depends on the parish. | |||
==== Record Coverage ==== | |||
Confession list population coverage is only about 10%. Although these records were taken, not many have been survived. Because this is a voluminous record type, many have been discarded. The standard rule was to retain only 2% but in some cases more were preserved. Consequently, these exist for only a small percentages of parishes.<ref name="profile" /> | |||
==== Location of Records ==== | |||
Confession list records may be stored in a variety of different places, but most commonly in the Central State Archives of Belarus. There are two branches - one in Minsk and one in Grodno. Some of these records are available online as digital images (through FamilySearch - check the Catalog at the parish level), while other may only be accessible via an archive. | |||
According to the census of as of November 2011, 58.9% of all Belarusians adhere to some kind of religion; out of those, Eastern Orthodoxy (Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church) makes up about 82%. Roman Catholicism is practiced mostly in the western regions, and there are also different denominations of Protestantism. Minorities also practice Greek Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and Neopaganism. Overall, 48.3% of the population is Orthodox Christian, 41.1% is not religious, 7.1% is Catholic and 3.3% follows other religions. | === Religions === | ||
According to the census of as of November 2011, 58.9% of all Belarusians adhere to some kind of religion; out of those, Eastern Orthodoxy (Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church) makes up about 82%. Roman Catholicism is practiced mostly in the western regions, and there are also different denominations of Protestantism. Minorities also practice Greek Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and Neopaganism. Overall, 48.3% of the population is Orthodox Christian, 41.1% is not religious, 7.1% is Catholic and 3.3% follows other religions. The modern religious make-up closely follows the historic religious make-up. | |||
=== Russian Orthodox: Belarusian Exarchate === | ==== Russian Orthodox: Belarusian Exarchate ==== | ||
The first Belarusian diocese was founded in Polotsk in 992; Turavsk was established as Belarus's second diocese in 1005, both part of the main church headquartered in Kyiv. During the 1300s, both dioceses were moved under the Orthodox Church headquartered in Moscow. These dioceses both ceased to exist in 1596; in 1632, an Orthodox church diocese was reestablished in Mogilev in 1632. As the Russian empire acquired sovereignty over the territory of Belarus, the diocese of Minsk was created; the 1800s saw the establishment of three additional dioceses. At the beginning of World War I (1914), there were 3,552 churches within the 5 Orthodox dioceses in Belarus. <ref> Wikipedia, "Беларуская Праваслаўная Царква", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%9E%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%A6%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%B0, accessed 18 October 2022. </ref> | The first Belarusian diocese was founded in Polotsk in 992; Turavsk was established as Belarus's second diocese in 1005, both part of the main church headquartered in Kyiv. During the 1300s, both dioceses were moved under the Orthodox Church headquartered in Moscow. These dioceses both ceased to exist in 1596; in 1632, an Orthodox church diocese was reestablished in Mogilev in 1632. As the Russian empire acquired sovereignty over the territory of Belarus, the diocese of Minsk was created; the 1800s saw the establishment of three additional dioceses. At the beginning of World War I (1914), there were 3,552 churches within the 5 Orthodox dioceses in Belarus. <ref> Wikipedia, "Беларуская Праваслаўная Царква", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%9E%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%A6%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%B0, accessed 18 October 2022. </ref> | ||
=== Roman Catholic === | ==== Roman Catholic ==== | ||
The first Roman Catholic diocese located in Belarus was established in Turov between 1008 and 1013. Catholics was the dominant religion of the Belarusian nobility and much of western Belarus. During the Russian Empire time period, there was tension between the minority Catholics and the majority Russian Orthodox Church. As of today, there are four Catholic dioceses in Belarus: Minsk-Mohilyov, Pinsk, Hrodna, and Vitebsk. | The first Roman Catholic diocese located in Belarus was established in Turov between 1008 and 1013. Catholics was the dominant religion of the Belarusian nobility and much of western Belarus. During the Russian Empire time period, there was tension between the minority Catholics and the majority Russian Orthodox Church. As of today, there are four Catholic dioceses in Belarus: Minsk-Mohilyov, Pinsk, Hrodna, and Vitebsk. | ||
Belarus's Catholic minority is concentrated in the western part of the country, especially around Hrodna, and is made up of a mixture of Belarusians and the country's Polish and Lithuanian minorities. | Belarus's Catholic minority is concentrated in the western part of the country, especially around Hrodna, and is made up of a mixture of Belarusians and the country's Polish and Lithuanian minorities. | ||
In a statement to the media regarding Belarusian-Vatican ties, President Lukashenko stated that Orthodox and Catholic believers are the "two main confessions in our country".<ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Belarus", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus, accessed 16 April 2020. </ref> | In a statement to the media regarding Belarusian-Vatican ties, President Lukashenko stated that Orthodox and Catholic believers are the "two main confessions in our country".<ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Belarus", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus, accessed 16 April 2020. </ref> | ||
==Locating the Parish== | |||
Metrical records (also commonly referred to as church records) were kept in the local parish of the church. To use metrical records, you must know both your ancestor's religion and the town where he or she lived. You must also determine in which parish the town was located. Parishes are local congregations that may have included many neighboring villages in their boundaries. Locating the parish your ancestor belonged to is important as this is the location in which metrical books, or church records of vital events such as birth, marriage, or death, were kept. Because not every town had a parish, you’ll want to use a gazetteer to help you locate the nearest parish. The following gazetteers may help you locate the parish. For additional, detailed instructions on how to use these resources, see '''[[Belarus Gazetteers]].''' | |||
* [https://radzima.net/ '''Radzima'''] - Place name database for Belarus, and some locations now in Poland and Lithuania. The database is free to use, but additional information (including the location of the closest parish and helpful links or information to locate records) is available to premium plan subscribers. | |||
* '''[https://familio.org/ Familio]''' - Place name database for locations in the former Russian Empire. The website is in Russian, but can be navigated using Google Translate). | |||
* '''[http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=12786&from=publication Skorowidz]''' - Gazetteer of the early Republic of Poland from 1918-1939. Some areas in western Belarus were a part of Poland during the interwar period. If this is the area your ancestors lived, this is a helpful gazetteer. Note that this gazetteer uses Polish spellings of place names. | |||
There are also additional gazetteers and resources available on the [[Belarus Gazetteers|'''Belarus Gazetteers''']] page. | |||
== Locating Records == | |||
===Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog === | ===Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog === | ||
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:::c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village. | :::c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village. | ||
:::d. Click on the '''"Church records"''' topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles. | :::d. Click on the '''"Church records"''' topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles. | ||
:::e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. [[File:FHL icons.png|75px]]. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records. | :::e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. [[File:FHL icons.png|75px]]. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records | ||
=== Geneteka === | |||
Geneteka is a volunteer-based Polish indexing project. The site primarily includes indexes of records from Poland, but also has indexes for locations in Belarus as well as Lithuania and Ukraine. The project is ongoing, and names are added constantly. Geneteka primarily indexes Roman Catholic records, but does have indexes for other religions. To learn how to use this resource, see: | |||
* Geneteka: Indexed Records - [[Media:1- Geneteka - Indexed Records - Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2- Geneteka - Indexed Records - Activity.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3- Geneteka - Indexed Records - Answer Key.pdf|Answer Key]] | |||
* Geneteka: Accessing Records - [[Media:1-Geneteka Accessing Records-Instruction D Jones Dec 2018 JMR.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Geneteka Accessing Records-Activity D Jones Dec 2018 JMR.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Geneteka Accessing Records-Answer Key D Jones Dec 2018 JMR.pdf|Answer Key]] | |||
==Records in National Archives== | ==Records in National Archives== | ||